When sheep farmers get together they are a breed apart

Farming correspondent

Monday 11 June 2012

Scotsheep, the biennial specialist sheep event, held at Dumfries House in Ayrshire last week was, as usual, a wonderful day out for the 8000 sheep farmers who attended it.

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Farming comment ROG WOOD

Scottish sheep farmers are a close-knit community, so Scotsheep is, above all else, a social event – a time to catch up on all the news and gossip with friends and acquaintances.

The most popular gathering points are the breed exhibits that promote the virtues of different breeds and crosses of sheep. There are 54 different British breeds and about 15 imported breeds, as well as all the hybrids and crosses – so competition is fierce.

There were 37 different breed exhibits at last week's Scotsheep. Typically a breed society will have several of their best sheep on display, backed up by posters and leaflets that highlight their different attributes. Exhibits are manned by leading breeders who wax lyrical about their sheep and encourage you to buy breeding stock. Generations of sheep breeders have improved and refined different strains of sheep to suit there own particular farming conditions. Many of the breeds are named after the area or county in which they were developed.Sheep breeders are very particular about breeding sheep true to type. Wool type, length and set of ears, shape and colour of the head and many other characteristics that may seem irrelevant in an animal that is going to be slaughtered, are considered very important to sheep breeders. By meticulous attention to small details, they fix different traits so firmly in the breed's genetic make-up, that each generation looks much the same as the previous one.Fixing breed characteristics effectively allows you to brand your breed. For instance, Hereford cattle are red with white faces. The genes for white faces are so dominant that most cattle sired by a Hereford bull, irrespective of breed, will have calves with white faces.It's the same with Aberdeen Angus bulls that are black and mostly breed black calves when mated to any other breed. Interestingly, when Herefords are crossed with Aberdeen Angus, the calves are black with white faces – so anyone with any knowledge of cattle can clearly identify the two breeds in the cross.Strong characteristics like colour help breeders to market their cattle to consumers as well as other farmers. The distinctive, shiny-black coat of the Aberdeen Angus is a strong brand image for its beef. The red-roan colour of Beef Shorthorn cattle is also helping it to develop into a distinct brand of beef.The principle is much the same with sheep and was probably one of the considerations behind retailer Morrisons decision last week to market Suffolk lambs separately on its shelves as part of its Traditional British Meats range. Initially, a pilot group of British farmers will supply the supermarket chain with 1500 Suffolk lambs a week.The Suffolk breed was originally the result of crossing the old black-faced Norfolk Horn ewes with Southdown rams – an excellent example of a deliberately improved breed. Over the years breeders have developed them into an early-maturing, meat breed. Suffolks have distinctive, black heads, and that trait is so firmly fixed in the breed that their crosses generally have black or brown "Suffolk" faces. Anyone, with any knowledge of sheep can easily identify a Suffolk-cross lamb.Morrisons explained that the Suffolk was chosen because of its ability to offer a quality product, with a rich flavour and texture. That is undoubtedly true, but I suspect that another reason for the choice may well be their ready availability, due to their popularity with farmers. Their strong breed characteristics also allow buyers to easily identify them and Morrisons to develop a brand image for Suffolk lamb.Mind you, the Suffolk is not the first sheep breed to get involved in such a marketing scheme. The Scottish Blackface Sheep Breeders Association has been promoting its lambs, with their distinctive horns, in a marketing initiative with Sainsbury under its Taste the Difference branding and best-in-season sourcing policy.That successful scheme, begun five years ago, sells about 1500 carcasses a week in the winter months of January, February and March when most of those hill-bred lambs are ready for slaughter.

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When sheep farmers get together they are a breed apart

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